Page 61 of Silver & Smoke
Thea sighed as Wren tied the laces of her dress. A familiar gesture made strange by circumstance – quiet moments like these had always been shared before battles, not weddings.
It was a thought Thea seemed to share as she asked, ‘Why in the midrealms did I let Dessa talk me into wearing this? A Warsword in white? It feels wrong.’
Wren snorted. ‘Like a poisoner wearing a crown?’
Thea grinned at that. ‘We’re breaking all kinds of rules, aren’t we?’
‘I’ve never known you to follow a rule in your life, Thee.’
Her sister barked a laugh. ‘True enough.’
It was just the pair of them getting ready for the ceremony, as Thea had requested. Wren had been surprised that she hadn’t wanted Cal and Kipp there, but Thea insisted that she’d see enough of them, especially Kipp, as he presided smugly over her and Wilder’s vows.
It was only when Thea spoke again that Wren realized why she hadn’t wanted her other friends present.
‘What if I can’t be both? A wife and a Warsword?’ she asked quietly, glancing up at Wren with a rare vulnerability shining in her celadon eyes.
‘Thea,’ Wren said gently, ‘you’re the one who taught me we don’t have to choose. Woman, warrior... Warsword, lightning wielder—’
‘But—’
Wren gripped her sister by the shoulders. ‘You are allowed to be happy. You are allowed to revel in joy, even when all else is uncertain,’ she told her. ‘Especiallywhen all else is uncertain.’
Thea stared at her, and Wren took the opportunity to reach for the gift she’d brought, wrapped in plain linen. She pressed it into Thea’s hands.
‘What’s this?’ Thea blinked at the small bundle, brow furrowed.
Wren laughed. ‘Well, you’ve got something old...’ She tugged on the leather strap tying the end of Thea’s braid. ‘Something borrowed...’ She gestured to the dress. ‘And now... for something deadly.’ She winked.
Thea unwrapped the fabric, and her eyes widened at the delicate piece of steel she found.
‘Wren...’ she breathed, astonishment etched across her face.
It was an ornate throwing star, made of the finest Naarvian steel.
‘I treated the points with my strongest incapacitating potion,’ Wren explained. ‘There’s also a pouch for it, made from the leather of your first sword grip.’
Thea shook her head in disbelief. ‘How did you...?’
‘Kipp helped. Don’t ask how he got it. I’m not sure either of us wants to know, but you didn’t exactly give us much notice.’
‘It’s beautiful,’ Thea murmured, testing the star’s weight between her fingers. ‘Thank you.’
‘Well...’ Wren blinked back unexpected tears. ‘You are the Shadow of Death, after all. We figured you needed something to represent that part of you on your wedding day.’
Thea laughed, the sound catching slightly in her throat. ‘When did you become so wise, little sister?’
‘I’vealwaysbeen wise,’ Wren told her. ‘Someone had to balance out your recklessness, remember?’ She straightened Thea’s dress one final time. ‘Ready?’
Thea sheathed the throwing star and secured it beneath her skirts before she squared her shoulders and nodded. ‘Ready.’
Thea had chosen the spot: the clifftops of Thezmarr, where she had first clapped eyes on Wilder Hawthorne so many years ago, where she had ended the shadow war with him at her side.
Wren knew its meaning, and she felt nothing but pride as Malik escorted her sister down the makeshift aisle. The Shieldbreaker moved slowly, supporting himself with a cane on one side, while Thea looped her arm through his on the other, but he was beaming.
‘Classic Mal.’ Talemir grinned beside Wren. ‘He loves a good wedding.’
Wren couldn’t stop the lump forming in her throat at the sight of her sister in a wedding gown, a retired Warsword on one side, his aging canine on the other. Dax seemed just as proud as his master, trotting at Thea’s feet, his tail wagging hard.
